Page 81 of Until Posey

Owen swallowed, then hugged me. His frail shoulders shook as he clung to me. We’d heard all about his abuse. Police found him chained to his bed. His parents used food as control. Owen’s clothes were hand-me-downs that never fit the boy properly. His life, in a nutshell, was a living hell. Because of how badly his parents abused him, he had therapy four times a week and most of the time; we had to physically carry him out of the office, because of the mental toll the situation had taken on him.

This party was our first chance to show him a good time. To allow him to forget about all his problems and just be a kid. “Thank you. For everything.” He held onto me as his sobs slowed and his breathing evened out. Then, after gathering himself, he was ready to get out.

I stayed his hand. “Don’t push yourself too hard and if you need a quiet place, don’t be afraid to say something.”

“I will,” Owen said. “I promise.”

“Atta, boy. Welcome to our family, Son. I’m glad you could join us,” I said, before we got out.

Owen grinned. “Me too.”

While the boys hooked up by Landon’s truck, Posey waited off to the side and had a brilliant smile on her face. Fuck, I loved her more every day. I got that once in a lifetime love. The love I saw my dad have with my mother. When Posey wrapped her arms around me, I sagged into her embrace.

“You did good,” she whispered, as if she understood what happened. “Owen’s going to learn so much and come to love being a part of our family. He just needs a little time.”

I pressed a kiss to her lips and nodded. “I know. Can’t wait to see him get stronger.”

“We’ll be there every step of the way.” She wrapped her arm around my waist, allowing me to tuck her into my side. “Now, let’s get everything ready for them. They’re going to freak out when they see their other presents.”

I chuckled. “Love you, wife.”

Posey sighed softly. “Love you too, Daddy.”

Hunter

Four years later...

The house was too quiet.

Last week, Owen, Milo and John had moved back into their dorms for their junior year of college. Anders was at the shop working with Rory on a few vehicles, while Destiny had jetted off to New York to work with one of the biggest fashion designers in the world—Tom Ford. Seemed weird not having at least one child in the house. Being official empty nesters was going to take some getting used to, but I had a plan for us.

Last year, Posey and I retired.

For good.

Sure, I went to the shop to help when I was needed. The same could be said for Landon and Ireland, too, but we were officially out of the business. Between all our kids, the eldest, if they weren’t off somewhere else, were continuing our legacy of being the best classic repair shop in Murfreesboro.

We’d also stopped taking foster children. Over the years, we had nineteen children in our homes. Each had graduated high school and either attended college or trade school. Each of their pictures hanged on our wall of success stories, but the pain of those who never made it wore on both Posey and me. Our family of five was big enough. It was time to be a little selfish, even if we were both felt guilty for those emotions.

As I stepped into our room with a tray of breakfast for my wife, there was also a little surprise there, too. Two tickets for a trip across Europe. Just me and Posey. We’d talked about it over the years, but with the kids and work, we never could find the right time to just pack up and leave.

Now we could.

“I love you too, baby,” Posey said a watery smile on her face. “We’ll talk soon, then you can tell me all about the fashion show and where you’re going. I love you. Bye, baby.”

Posey swiped away her tears as she put the phone back on the table beside the bed. She’d been a wreck since all the kids had left home. Rory, Anders, and Wilder had bought the lot beside the shop and turned it into a bachelor pad of sorts for them. It made sense. They were all the closest in age and worked the best together within the shop. Their living together also took some of the stress and worry off us with Anders. Should anything happen, they were there to watch his back. Something we took comfort in.

“What’s this?” Posey said, eyeing the tray. “Did you make me breakfast in bed?” She rubbed her hands together while staring at the food. “I’m famished.”

Two years after Milo and John were born, Posey had decided to have a complete hysterectomy. It wasn’t a choice either of us took lightly, but after the boys were born, the doctors found there were more cysts than not in and around her ovaries and the endometriosis was slowly attacking the rest of her body. It was better for Posey health-wise to have the surgery than not. I expected the insurance to fight harder against our wishes, but they approved the procedure without even an appeal. I was grateful because I knew that wasn’t the norm.

“Thought you might be,” I said, placing the tray on her lap before crawling into bed beside her. I was the same age now as my father was when he took my mother on that ill-fated trip to Gatlinburg. It seemed so weird to be nearing a birthday my father never saw.

“What’s this?” Posey picked up the itinerary and gasped. “Holy shit! Hunter! You did this? You really did it?”

Love bloomed in my chest. “Of course, this was our dream. Might have taken a while to get here, but I figured we’re all alone now. We can go wherever we want. What do you say, Baby girl? Are you ready for our new adventure?”

Her gaze softened as her bottom lip trembled. She was still just as beautiful as the day we met all those years ago. Still as feisty as ever, too. “Yes. I’ll go anywhere with you, Hunter.” She kissed me then. The desperate edge we never seemed to quell rose within me as I moved the tray off her lap.

“You know the other thing I love about being alone?” I murmured, pressing kisses to her neck and the tops of her breasts.

“What?”

“Being able to make my Baby girl scream,” I said, pulling the blankets from her. “Love you always, Posey.”

She hummed, arching to me. Her arms went around my neck as I settled between her thighs. “Love you too, Daddy.”

THE END

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